China and Singapore are the first Asian countries to release their 1Q21 GDP reports. China was the first to enter the Covid-19 economic slump that dented its GDP growth by -6.8% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020. That low base effect positioned it for a strong bounce in yearly growth in the first quarter of this year. Attesting to this was an exceptional surge in high-frequency activity indicators -- a 61% YoY jump in exports and around 35% YoY surges in industrial production, fixed-asset investment, and retail sales in Jan-Feb. The March figures for these indicators will also arrive simultaneously as 1Q GDP, ... (full story)